The Mini Bell This section showcases first semester Journalism 1 students
Mini Bell news Exit 1-6 Turns Sweet 16 By: Anne Jackson Photo by: Danni Hammontree If laughter is the best medicine then Exit 1-6 is a sure way to make anyone feel better. Exit 1-6 is an improvisational comedy troupe here at LHS. The troupe is made up of many talented LHS students of all grades. They work hard performing and competing to make others laugh. The troupe performs here in our Little Theater once a month and has some exciting shows coming up. This year’s alumni show was on December 20th, 2013 at 7:00pm. There was also the first ever Pre Alumni Show: Alumni Show. The old members did their own show on Thursday, December 19, at 7pm at ComedyCity in Westport. Improvisational comedy, or improv for short, is acting without any sets, scripts, or real lines. The whole story being created is reliant on body movements and what is being said. This can make it very difficult to convey the story, stay in character, and come up the next hilarious line. But the troupe members at our high school are practically professionals. Eleven members work incredibley hard, practicing every Tuesday, to provide all of us with laughter, make the audience happy, and “improve the lives of the students of Liberty Public Schools through improv,” Junior Noah Pozel said. They are a troupe in the same way as an army troop. They work together and support each other to make the team great. The troupe practices and trains just like the experts. They work hard to learn new techniques and sharpen their abilities. They even have a professional improv coach and comedian. Trish Berrong has been the coach
for about the past 13 years, and has enjoyed every minute watching the members grow in improv and friendship. She works hard to provide our school with the best improvisational comedy troupe around. “I herd them, mostly. And train them exactly the same way I train the professional players at ComedyCity, where I’m a player and Director of Education and Training,” Berrong said. Exit 1-6 even takes an annual trip to Chicago
to sightsee, go to improv shows and take classes. When it comes to entertainment, Exit 1-6 does not fall short of professional. Over the years the troupe has won many awards and titles. Sixteen years ago, when the troupe was started, they won the KC High School Improv League Championship in the spring of 1998 along with the League Spirit Award. Four members from the troupe, Aaron
Jones, Tyler Miller, Josh Anderson, and Noah Pozel, who make up improv group, The Green Beans, remain undefeated in “Seriously Playful’s Operation: Show!” Seriously Playful is a non-profit founded by former Exit 1-6 member, and current coach of Liberty North’s troupe, BBFP, Clay Ingram. About a dozen different high school improv troupes compete in shows on the weekends. There may be a slight rivalry between BBFP and Exit-16, but it’s all in fun and games. The two teams help each other out, and get along. But at the end of the day Exit 1-6 remains the reigning champions. Exit 1-6 has more members, experience, and has been around much longer. Many members continue improvisational comedy in some way after graduating. Even a few of our current members would like to carry on doing improv in the future. Hopefully we will see our seniors again next year when they have the annual alumni show. Exit 1-6 is celebrating its 16th year as a troupe. The troupe consists of: Josh Anderson, Haley Brown, Austin Cable, Hannah DiPoto, Haley Ferguson, Amy Hartgrove, Aaron Jones, Tyler Miller, Zoe Pixler, Noah Pozel, and Bridget Prewitt.
The Mini Bell
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MACs not for sale By: Justice Birdsong
Some LHS students mistakingly believe that either all students, or just students with laptops for four consecutive years, will be able to buy their Macs after graduation at a discounted price. After further investigation and clarification from experts in the district, these expectations were proven to be nothing more than rumors. According to reliable school sources, Macs will not be available for purchase because they are leased to the school. After speaking with technology specialist, Chris Ward, it could easily be observed that he had no idea about the rumors involving the Macs. The school does not actually own the Macs; the laptops must be sent back and all new ones will be leased. “I guess that was just a rumor somebody started,” Ward said. District technology specialist, Julie Newell, described future plans for the Macs. “We have not made any decisions about that at this point,” said Newell. “To the best of my knowledge we will not be doing that, we will be turning them in and getting all new sets.” Some students claim they recall their parents being told at orientation that purchasing the
Jays make waves at state At the end of the fall season the Jays swim team made a splash at state. The MSHSAA Boys Swimming Championships were held on November 15-16 in St. Peters, Missouri. Only swimmers that made a state cut at a MSHSAA sponsored swim meet were allowed to participate. This meet is easy for some of the best swimmers to qualify for, but to others extremely challenging. “For some swimmers, it is something that is expected, but I think it is still a great accomplishment,” swim coach Chris Murphy said. “For others, it is their year-long or even career-long goal, so it is a huge thing.” Among the swimmers who qualified for their individual events were senior Jonah Korondi, junior Michael Coday and sophomore Joe Saitta. Among those who qualified for relays were Korondi, Coday, and Saitta, along with junior Tim Gibson in the 200 and 400 yard freestyle relays. Sophomore Alex Goerke and seniors Jonathan Morris, Cameron McCoy, and Mike Weinands qualified for the 200 yard medley relay. Senior Jonah Korondi was asked how he felt when he made his state cuts this year. “Superb,” was the only word he used to describe the feeling. Korondi qualified for the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle events individually and the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Korondi thought he did pretty well at state but was upset about an unfortunate disqualification in his 50 freestyle during prelims. Korondi was disqualified for twitching his shoulders while on the block, and wasn’t allowed to move on to finals in that event. Even with that mistake, Korondi was still very excited about breaking the school
Photo by: Arley Emery
student laptops would be an option after their child graduated. Some also thought a letter was mailed home near the very beginning of school stating that purchasing the Macs was a possibility. When the accurate information was given to a few students, most were disappointed. “I feel duped,” said junior Zoda Ballew. “They knew the laptops were leased, so why did they say we could buy them in the first place?” Senior Tanner Pendergast loves his Mac, and was not impressed by the information. “Wow, well that’s kind of harsh I think. I feel like a lot of NKC schools do that, where they let them buy them after a while,” Pendergast said. One sophomore, Brooke Mitchell, had heard the rumor that only students with laptops for four consecutive years could buy the laptops, so hearing the truth didn’t phase her as much. “I feel like the freshman are the ones that were going to be able to buy them, so they should be the ones that feel some type of way,” Mitchell said. “We weren’t going to be able to get them anyway.” Students who are following the misguided rumor should be informed of this information and make other arrangements if they were expecting to buy their Mac.
By: McKenna Still
Photo by: Madi Hayter
record in the 100 freestyle at finals with a 46.73 time. Sophomore Alex Goerke qualified for the 200 medley relay this year, and was one the youngest Jays to go to state this year. “I felt really happy when I made state and I was just glad that I didn’t gain any time,” Goerke said. Overall, he was happy that he got to swim. A swimmer this year who didn’t make state, sophomore Jack Zhang, gave his opinion on state. “ [Making state is] very difficult. It is a big achievement and shows how good a swimmer is,” Zhang said.
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Welcome to the Working World Whether it’s stacks of books or stacks of cash, students who have jobs outside of school have to deal with the pressures and benefits of jobs as well as
schoolwork. During the week they do their homework and some have a weekend to enjoy and relax. But not only does work interfere with school, extra
Simplify Your Schedule Some, like junior Chase Chapman, have a very strict schedule. He was involved in football during the season and also has a job at Green Lantern Car Wash. “I would get home after 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. And on Friday, after the game, I basically had no Friday night,” Chapman said. “I would get home about 11 p.m. and on Saturday morning, I would have some free time until I work at 2 p.m. I worked until 8 p.m.” Chapman didn’t get a lot of time to hang out with his friends because his schedule wasn’t flexible. Other students have the luxury of a schedule they can bend and mold and shape, such as senior Christen Newport, who works at JC Penney’s. She’s worked there for a year and a half, and she’s seemed to have mastered the art of an easy work schedule.
“I’ll work right after school until 10 at night, so I don’t have time for homework,” Newport said. “But they’re flexible on hours, so I did take Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays off so I can focus on school.” With work and after school activities, you also learn time management. Sophomore Kayla DeHart also has a tip about balancing the two. “Well, you kinda just have to schedule yourself so you know that you’ll have time to study and do your homework,” DeHart said. Some parents may be concerned with the work schedules of their children, but so are the teachers. “I have one student with three jobs. Some of my other students who have jobs and are occasionally very busy and then they go through a spell when they aren’t,” history teacher Jeffry Wilkins said.
The Mini Bell By: Maddy Goodwin and Michael McHale Graphics by Aly Copp and Madi Denton
curricular activities are a factor as well. Many Liberty High School students are employed and working hard. There are students who have a paying
job and balance school, family, friends and extracurricular activities. All of these can lead to dealing with a lot of stress.
Stable vs. Seasonal Students work various times throughout the year; some hold year-round jobs while others work seasonally. Junior Heather Stokes worked as a lifeguard over the summer at Oceans of Fun, and enjoyed making many new friends while she was helping keep people safe. “Lifeguarding was a very big part of my summer,” Stokes said. Stokes worked about 4050 hours every week over the summer, but still managed to have fun, while making some extra cash at the same time. “Not only did I enjoy lifeguarding and saving lives in general, but I also made many close friends,” Stokes said. While Stokes’ job at Oceans of Fun was mainly during the summer, other lifeguards, such as junior Michael Coday, work year-round.
Junior Michael Coday also holds a year-round lifeguard position at the Liberty Community Center. Like many students with jobs, he worked a majority of his summer. Since school has been back in session, Coday has felt some pressure balancing the work load and the school load. “School comes first,” Coday said. “So, I’ll get someone to cover my shift if something interferes with it.” Coday is also a member of the men’s swim team at LHS, which gives him even more to balance besides school and work. “Well, I’m at practice after school until 6 o’clock Monday through Friday, and then I work on the weekends. Then I’m taking a bunch of hard classes like AP Physics,” he said.
Burden or Blessing?
Wilkins is a teacher who cares about the students he teaches. “You can see that they are worn out and it affects the quality of their school work,” Wilkins said. Some students struggle with maintaining a balance between work and school. “Students who typically struggle with the balance are students who are already struggling in school and they tend to not put school first.,” social worker Cathy Mendez said. “Really, school needs to be a priority when they are still in school.” Many people wonder why students in high school have jobs
in the first place. What exactly motivates these teens to venture out into the working world at such a young age? “I personally feel like it increases a student’s responsibility; I think they learn responsibility, and to be more independent,” Mendez said. “I think that there is also an increase in self worth, because of the pride of earning a paycheck, and being responsible for something on your own.”
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Mini Bell Book reviews A Reason why to Read 13 Reasons Why It is a rarity that I will come across a book that I personally enjoy so much that I read it over again. When I heard people raving about 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, I insisted on reading it. That was one of the best decisions I have ever made. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat, and you will want to keep reading to find what stories lie behind each cassette tape. 13 Reasons Why changes the way you view your actions and how they can affect others around you, even if you don’t realize it. This is represented throughout the whole book when the main character, Hannah, commits suicide and leaves behind 13 cassette tapes that explain the reasons why she killed herself. The twist on this story is each reason was a person; therefore there are 13 people who receive these tapes through out the story. You will
By: Brianna Walker Photo by: Ashley Covarrubias
hear how Clay Jensen, who receives these tapes, reacts to them in his point of view. In 2007, this book was a New York Times bestseller and International Seller. Millions of copies have been sold and it is an also popular young adult read. The author makes you feel like you are listening to the tapes along with Clay Jensen. I felt every emotion reading this book, sadness, first-love, hopelessness, and compassion. I was able to reflect on my life after reading this book. I believe that it really changes you as a person. “It’s a brilliant and mesmerizing debut from a gifted new author,” according to Starred Review. Don’t pass up on an opportunity that you can genuinely enjoy. I promise you won’t regret reading this book.
Perfect Chemistry By: Justice Birdsong
If you enjoy exhilarating books about the good and bad sides of romance like me, you will love Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry trilogy. These books were some of the best I have ever read. They catch your attention from the very beginning and once you pick up one of them, you will never want to put it down. It is an urban twist on forbidden love that takes you into the lives of three Hispanic brothers, the Fuentes, from the south side of Chicago. All three brothers come across girls who are all way out of their league. At first, they do not get along with them, but despite their differences, each brother falls in love and must defend their relationship from their families, friends, and their gang. Because of their father’s involvement, the Fuentes’ have a long history with the Latino Blood Gang dominating the south side of Chicago. The twist of adding a gang excites the reader by spicing up the story with danger, murder, poverty, and survival of the fittest. The first book is about the eldest Fuentes brother, Alex, who is a tough and respected member of a gang with an arrogant attitude. He is in the gang to protect his family and make sure his brothers never have to become involved, but all that is jeopardized when
Photo by: Nicole Throckmorton
he falls in love with the most popular girl of Fairfield High. In the second book Alex’s little brother, Carlos, is involved with a gang and proud of it after his mother moved him and his younger brother to Mexico. Carlos gets in so much trouble, his mother sends him to Colorado to live with Alex in hopes he will straighten up. There, he meets a girl who acts and looks very different from the girls he has ever come to know, and he unexpectedly falls in love. The last book follows the youngest Fuentes brother, Luis, who is head strong and determined to stay away from his brothers’ examples in regards to gang affiliation. But because of who Luis is, the gang has no intentions of letting him get away. Luis does what he has to in order to keep his family and his new love safe, but the odds don’t look to be in his favor. I decided to begin reading these books because I am secretly a hopeless romantic, but at the same time I am very entertained by books that depict struggles involving race, gangs, and being in the streets. I felt that these books were a perfect read for me because they combined both of my favorite types of books. I enjoyed these books because nothing goes
as expected; it constantly sparks your curiosity, and the story lines keep you on edge. “Elkeles sure hits her stride in this story of star-crossed lovers. She takes a storyline that could be clichéd and turns it into a gripping tale readers will race through to find out if happily ever after is possible,” Romantic Times Magazine said. This book will have you all to eager to turn the page and will leave you emotionally drained by the end.
05
Struck by Lightning
For as long as I can remember, I have been a firm believer in the notion that everything happens for a reason. Over the years, I’ve learned that it can apply to really big things, and also to extremely minor, seemingly insignificant situations. Recently, I thought about this when I read Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer. I started reading the book after impulsively buying it at Barnes and Noble last month. The title intrigued me, so I flipped it open, and before I knew it, I’d read thirty pages. I absolutely HAD to buy this book. So I did. In all honesty, I was shocked at how fast I blew through it. Many people, such as myself, vaguely recognize Colfer as Kurt Hummel from FOX’s primetime sensation, Glee. The book has recently been made into a movie, but I enjoyed the book much more. In Colfer’s writing debut, we meet Carson Phillips, a high school senior desperately awaiting an escape from his hometown, Clover. Carson is not considered the most popular person at Clover High. He has always been very opinionated, and has
The Mini Bell
By: Michael McHale
quite the mouth on him, which is often funny, but also often gets him into trouble. Going into his senior year, all he can think about is leaving behind the desolate wasteland that is Clover. He finds solace in his passion for writing. Carson, throughout his high school career, has single-handedly kept his high school newspaper afloat. He is also one of the only people who notice the Clover High Chronicle’s existence, let alone read it. After dealing with years of people constantly making him the butt of their jokes, Carson is more than fed up. Gone are the days when Carson would let people ridicule him and walk all over him. Carson is taking a stand, by starting a literary magazine in order to spice up his Northwest application. His only issue: other people have to submit pieces. Now it is up to Carson to do whatever he has to, even if it involves blackmail, to get people to submit to his magazine and ultimately, get him out of Clover. I really admire Carson, because he really took matters into his own hands and made things
Photo by: Allie Schwoengerdt happen. I kind of want to be more like Carson, in the sense that he has a passion and a dream, and will do anything to protect that dream. There will no doubt be obstacles, but that’s all part of the journey. It all goes back to everything happening for a reason. In a way, I feel like I was meant to read this book. Having done so, I feel like I know myself a little bit better. So, in a way, I bought this book for a reason. Which also makes me think- maybe I’m klutzy for a reason. I mean, I wouldn’t have discovered Struck by Lightning if I hadn’t accidentally knocked it off the shelf.
Mini Bell music reviews SAve the buzz
By: Lindsey Gercken
You might have seen #listenlonger and #savethebuzz floating around on social media by now. Our local alternative station, 96.5 The Buzz, started these hashtags about a year ago in hopes of raising their ratings to prevent them from going away. These hashtags started working for a little while, but then their ratings when right back down. As an avid listener, I personally believe that it’s not because of the music that they play, but because of the provocative topics that the radio hosts talk about. The Buzz is one of those stations that’s awkward to listen to with your parents in the car. Most of the topics consist of heavy profanity and inappropriate topics that can sometimes makes you feel uncomfortable. If the Buzz were really worried about their ratings and their listeners, then they would choose more family friendly topics. People with kids are less likely to listen to the Buzz in the car when there are other radio stations around that are more family friendly. I understand that the Buzz is marketing towards a certain audience, but they should keep in mind that it’s broadcasted to
Photo by: Maddie Hissong
everyone. Most people don’t want to hear about extremely personal things that the radio hosts share. But if the hosts really want to talk about it, then they should do it in moderation, not spend thirty minutes on one topic that’s not really going anywhere. “They talk to much,” junior Teryn Deshler said. “Sometimes when I listen I just think, this is pointless, play more music.” Although I don’t really advocate for their talk shows, I do understand that it’s what makes the Buzz, the Buzz. Most of their listeners are older and can somewhat relate to what they’re talking about. And I can admit, that sometimes it can be interesting depending on their topic of conversation. Not all of their talk shows are bad. The Church of Lazlo, their afternoon talk show, does have some pretty entertaining topics. There’s this one segment called Country Physic where they play country music and one of the DJ’s sings along with their own lyrics and then compare it to the original song. It’s funny and actually makes you want to #listenlonger. If only they did stuff like this more often and spend less time talking about their more
uncomfortable topics. The Buzz is great and their music is awesome, however their talk shows need some work. But, as always, I will still #listenlonger to #savethebuzz.
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Mini Bell music reviews Panic!’s Changing Sound By: Teryn Deshler Panic! At The Disco has always been associated with change, but this album was a change I didn’t like … until I attended their concert on January 19. This show changed my opinion on the album. While the majority of the set list was packed with songs from previous albums, a number of songs from “Too Weird To Live” were played as well. The band executed each song with crazy energy, and I was able to hear Urie’s wide range of vocals; it’s amazing how much a song can change when you hear it live. Sometimes circumstances call for change and with the separation of two founding members, Panic! At The Disco is still finding where they belong. Despite new differences, Panic! will still deliver the same high-energy songs and performances. Here’s what I thought before I went to the concert. Panic! At The Disco has always had a changing sound, like many bands trying to make it in the music industry. But their new album ‘Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die,’ released in early October, sounds almost unrecognizable to the band’s usual rock sound. Panic! was formed by Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson, and Brendon Urie straight out of their Las Vegas high school in 2004. After recording a few demos they were signed to their first label, Decaydance, and released their first debut album. The band’s first album ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out,’ which was released in 2005, is full of rock/pop songs with catchy hooks and clever lyrics that pushed boundaries. The album got mixed reviews yet still managed to become double platinum in the US. Fever is by far the band’s best album, brought to success by hit singles ‘I Write Sins, Not Tragedies’ and ‘The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage.’ From there, the band started to play with a different sound. In 2008, Decaydance and Fueled By Ramen released ‘Pretty. Odd’ as Panic! At The Disco’s second studio album. With a completely new sound inspired by The Beatles 1960’s pop/rock, the new album didn’t resemble the previous at all. The songs may have been different from Fever, but they still had good, melodic tunes and a unique sound that no other band possessed. The band spent a long time working on the album, and even scrapped the whole
thing to start over fresh. The first song written for the album, Nine in the Afternoon, was number 44 on Rolling Stones list of the Best Songs of 2008. The opening track, ‘We’re So Starving,’ opens the album with the lyrics, “Oh how it’s been so long/ we’re so sorry we’ve been
gone/ we were busy writing songs for you.” Due to the long league of absence, it was evident that the band had faced some problems. These problems with the album eventually lead to the split of the band, when guitarist/ vocalist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker walked out to form their own band, The Young Veins. Urie and Smith went on as a duo and continued to release music. Vices and Virtues, the band’s first studio album without Ross and Walker, was released in early 2011. Vices and Virtues is like the child of ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ and ‘Pretty. Odd.’ The “old” Panic! At The Disco shines through a
Photo by: TJ Stansbury
little more, maybe due to the absence of Ross and Walker. The album was well written and delivered a unique sound, like a well-balanced mix between their past two albums. The main thing that stands out about all Panic! albums is Urie’s strong vocals, and his impressive ability to belt out ballads like no other. Cover it up, and you’ve lost the one thing that keeps their unique sound alive. On October 8th, 2013, Panic! At The Disco released their fourth studio album. ‘Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die’ was the second album without Ross and Walker, and the first album to include bass guitarist Dallon Weekes, who joined Panic! in 2009 while they were touring. The main problem with this album is explained in its description. The album is described as a ‘party record.’ Instead of the usual pop-punk and alternative rock title genres, the album was set as synthpop and electronica. While some would disagree, I think that the album takes away from Urie’s vocals. The pop and electronic noises camouflaged their old sound. “Like a lot of this record, it’s merely annoying,” reviewer Jordan Blum said when talking about opening song, ‘Miss Jackson.’ There were a few moments on the album where you can really hear Urie’s talent, but the rest were hidden away under synthetic pop beats and a thumping bass. When I think of the album, I see it as Brendon Urie’s solo project. Smith and Weeke’s instrumentals were concealed under the electronic beats, and if you look at the album cover (which is of a lone Urie smoking a cigarette) it is apparent that Urie is the only face of Panic! At The Disco. My first opinion was that the album was a complete step down from ‘Vices and Virtues’, and didn’t even begin to compare with ‘Pretty. Odd.’ or ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.’
07
The Mini Bell’s opinion
I’m a Lady
By: AJ Rich Photo by: Sadie Zipsie
Don’t tell me to go back to the kitchen where I, quote “belong.” Don’t tell me I HAVE to get married and stay home to raise my family. Don’t tell me my place in society.
Drugstore gems By: Brooklyn Balsdon Photo by: Molly Meeks
Is it a necessity to spend a bulk of money to enhance your makeup collection? Absolutely not! There is a plethora of cheaper products sold in local drugstores that are just as wonderful as high-end products. At times, walking into a drugstore and seeing a wall packed full of options can be overwhelming at first. But, I am here to help you discover the hidden gems that line
The Mini Bell
Let’s start at work; I work at a car part store. I’m working there because it’s the only place I knew of that was both related to engines and that hired at 17. Fortunately for me, my current boss was willing to take a chance on me. Unfortunately, the manager at the Liberty store was not. So everyday that I work, I drive to a completely different town. It’s worth it to me because I love my job. I don’t love the people who come in and look at the women behind the counter like we are less than our male counterparts. We go through the same training and have the same access to materials. I accept the fact that sticking with this industry means I will have to put up with people who don’t think I should be there, but I’m not going to pretend like it doesn’t bother me. Every job will be another uphill battle to prove myself to customers, bosses and other co-workers. In the past I’ve had people ask rude things like, “Why aren’t you married yet?” and “Why do you work at a parts store?” I didn’t understand what that costumer meant when he asked me why I wasn’t
married. Later my co-worker explained to me that the guy was referring to me being a housewife and staying at home. Customers who tell me that kind of thing aren’t nearly as bad as the people who outright refuse to talk to me. They will walk right by me, ignore my existence, ignoring my greeting, and walk to a male co-worker. Then there are females who call and ask to speak with a man, if a man isn’t available they WILL hang up on me and call again later. I’ve never met these people, they don’t know me, or what I am capable of. They have decided that because I’m a female I am incapable of helping them. I am a lady, and I can do anything I want to do.
the isles! Some of us struggle with applying eye products or even figuring out what goes where and at what step! I’ll admit, I used to be the girl who had no clue what to do with any type of product. But, as I started to play with makeup, I realized its not as challenging to me as I thought. The first step that should always be taken when applying eye shadow is using an eye primer or base. A primer or base is needed in order to keep your eye shadow from creasing, fading, or smudging off during the day. If that happens to you even when you do apply a primer, I suggest trying a different primer. Instead of splurging out the bucks on a high-end product, I recommend picking up a Maybelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo. These gems can be worn as an eye shadow or an über long lasting primer underneath your eye shadow. According to Teresa Parra, “The Maybelline cream shadow pots truly last 24 hours and make my eyes pop.” I have even slept in my eye makeup once, and my eye shadow was still in place in the morning! They cost about $7 depending on the store, and they come in a gorgeous variety of colors.
Another eye product that definitely is underrated is Jordana Fabuliner. This amazing beauty product is a felt tip eyeliner pen that allows ease when applying liquid eyeliner. It puts out just enough eyeliner to perfect the line and the tip of the pen has accurate proportions to the eye shape. Personally, I use this product everyday, and I cannot get enough of it. The best part about this marvelous eyeliner is that it is roughly only $2 at Walgreens. The last drugstore gem gives your face a dashing pop of color. The Wet N’ Wild Color Icon blush is super pigmented and is similar to many high-end blushes that may rack up to $30. Although this blush only comes in three different shades, it is still at the top of my drugstore blush list. You can find these blushes also at drugstores, such as Walgreens and CVS and they are sold for approximately $3. These are some of the many spectacular finds for less. I find myself constantly reaching for these products in the mornings and they shine even brighter for the price to pay! Whether it’s beauty products or grocery shopping, no one can say it feels bad to save instead of splurge!
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The Ugly Free-To-Play Dilemma
Free to play games are horrible for new gamers. They attract the casual crowd since there is no fee blocking them from playing. That alone may not be a bad thing, but that also doesn’t filter out the trolls, jerks, and people in general who can’t let anyone have any fun. When playing a free to play game on your computer, PlayStation or Xbox, the games usually start out fun and you wonder for
By: Levi Harris-Hale
a brief moment, “Why won’t these people charge money for this?”, then you beat the tutorial and are thrown out into the full game and realize that it is a total grind-fest, asking you to devote countless hours into it just to get anything done. For most gamers this usually isn’t the problem, as being gamers means they already devote a lot of time to these virtual worlds. For them it’s the constant abuse you get from the people you almost never see in any full priced game. That price barrier of 30-60$ filters out a lot of unwanted players. You first notice once you get into pvp, (player versus player). For the non-gaming-enthusiastic-casualpopulace, that’s when you compete against other players for various reasons. In pvp you’ll notice some people will be a really high level, but playing in patterns that only new players use, with guns, weapons, armor and aesthetics that you have never seen before. They destroy everyone in their path. That’s when you learn of the payto-win practices being performed on the games servers. Players are spending money to do better than players that spend two
Sleepless in school
By: Greg Kolodziejski Photo by: PhotoJournalism
I was writing this, and then I fell asleep. Sleep is obviously something we need, something we want more of. Sleeping is one thing that a lot of teenagers lack, whether it be to stress or just staying up late doing homework. The recommended hours of sleep teenagers should get should be between 8-10, but these days’ statistics show that the average teenager only gets 4-6 hours of sleep per night. I wonder how a lot of teenagers must feel sleepy due to the fact that they’re not able to sleep the full hours needed at night. Overall things have to change, and something has to be done. In all means, what can be done? Maybe the teachers should reduce the amounts of homework that’s given per night. There’s a quote that clearly states that; “If school isn’t a place for sleeping, then home isn’t a place for homework.” Schools push, and push kids to get the maximum amount of sleep per night. However that cannot be done if they’re being constantly barged to do assignment, after assignment, plus study for all the tests. I mean basically. Schools should really
Photo by: Rachel Untch
or three more times in the game, trying to earn these things instead of buying a way to victory. But if you can even get past the horrid overpowering of some players that have guns bigger than yours and they-glow-inthe-dark-because-they-bought-a-coolweapon-skin, you’ll then be faced with the worst of the worst, the trolls. The players who will refuse to be reasonable if you ask for help. If they do bad they will scream in the form of caps lock. If they win, they will insult everyone that didn’t win. If they lose, they will insult everyone that did and didn’t lose. Its insufferable, the free to play games invite everyone and bring out the worst in its player population, and should never be attempted by new gamers.
help out students by reducing homework, giving them extra time in class to work on assignments when they’re finished with other assignments. Sleep is something that students also need to help them focus more in school and their work. They need sleep to function correctly and to learn. That’s my opinion and what they really should do to help students to succeed more.
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The Mini Bell
Status Update
Tweet this. Post that. What person, no matter what age, isn’t involved in the social media networks of the 21st century? According to a poll taken early in 2012, the percent of people who are interacting with any social media network was at 58%. And one of those social networks is Facebook, which 56% of people were using. Now, Twitter wasn’t as popular then, so only 11% had one. Apparently, Twitter users are 33% more likely to be Democrats according to another poll. Bet you didn’t know that. I have recently become a tweeter, and I’m
A Foreign Concept
Foreign languages come easy to some, but are very difficult for others. Maybe we just have the teaching system wrong. Maybe we’re just too lazy. For my sister, French was a snap, and for me, a struggle. Full emersion. An extreme way to learn, yet very effective. The Mormon missiontraining center uses the full emersion technique and some people will become completely fluent in their given language in a matter of months. There’s no doubt it works, it’s just extreme. Can you imagine going in knowing only English and only being able to speak another language? Get in, learn, and get out. Full emersion may be a lot, but what we do in schools isn’t enough. You spend an hour cramming in as much knowledge as possible then you do the same with six other classes. It’s too much information and not enough time. How am I supposed to memorize the conjugation of 18 French words, write a 500 word opinion piece for journalism, do a six page math review, and memorize a script for a theatre final? It’s nearly impossible. Are we just lazy about it? Or is it really too much? That’s the issue with teaching foreign languages in schools. We spend the first three years of our lives learning the basics of our language in the best sense of full emersion there is. How are we supposed to spend an
By: Maddie Goodwin
still growing accustomed to Twitter. I find lots of enjoyable things out of it, including humorous tweets that make my day better. Ever since we received our Macbook Airs in school, people take it to their advantage and constantly visit Twitter during class. I have to shamefully admit I am one of these students. There’s something addicting about Twitter that is unexplainable. There are different types of people who are involved in social media networks. There are the people who strive to get tons of ‘likes’ on photos on Instagram, while others just like posting them for family and friends to see and enjoy. It still amazes me when I see Instagram accounts that have over 1,000 followers. I only have 200 something and I seem to struggle with that amount. Now, I have nothing wrong with social media networks. I am a loyal Instagram and Twitter user; there are lots of positive things about them. Even my great grandmother
By: Tyler Frost
Photo by: Sadie Zipsie
who lives in Oklahoma has a Facebook so she can keep in contact with her children and grandchildren. Even across Kansas, she can fawn over how much I’ve grown up from the pictures my mom posts. And yet, there’s still a part of social media networks that I don’t admire. Just the other day as I was walking behind some students, I heard one girl exclaim, “Did you see that status she made?” The statement made the corners of my lips furl down into a frown and I wanted to shake my head. Everything today is flowing through the Internet, and that also includes the social media networks. It’s one of our most important pieces of communication, but that also, unfortunately, includes rumors. From the things that young women post on Instagram and Facebook, I’m ashamed of how much these social media networks have altered us. Some of the things I see utterly disgust me. That has to mean something.
Photo by: Margaret Burton
hour five times a week attempting to learn a totally different language when we’re stuffing six other concepts in our brains all at once? Don’t get me wrong…it can be done. But you’re upping your chance of having a brain aneurism from trying to do all of this at once. And brain aneurisms are scary things… those kill you. I’m not sure about you, but I know that I will not end up six feet under because I was adding x plus the square root of 50 while conjugating irregular (re) verbs for a required foreign language credit. Should we know a foreign language? I believe we should as integrating immigrants into the American work force is happening more and more each day. Will it help you in life? Maybe. Is it a chance you’re willing to take? Let me give you a situation. A foreign man appears at your work place asking lots of questions but he doesn’t speak a lick of English. He’s had a rough day at his work place and really wants…something. You don’t know what. You feliz navidon’t speak Spanish. You are now in a unfortunate and displeasing situation, both to you and the man you cannot understand. Now say you’re in that same situation but you took Spanish in high school. You speak broken Spanish, but Spanish none-the-less. You’re able to pick out bits and pieces, and
learn that all the man wants is to purchase a vaccum. You sell him one, problem solved. Say you went into some sort of full emersion Spanish-speaking process. He comes in and you give him a vacuum. “Gracias!” he says. You know exactly how to respond, “De nada.” Everyone goes home happy. So I say learn a language, but do it right. Maybe the broken public school system works for you, and if so, good for you. I’m just saying do what you deem fit. I personally am a lost cause when it comes to foreign languages. If you’re trying an extreme way of learning like full emersion, God speed to you.
The Mini Bell
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All hail to the Creation of Cheez-Itz
Ever wonder what makes the Cheez-Itz so good? Maybe it’s all the fact they are made from real cheese, maybe it’s because of the salt, or maybe it is the crisp texture of the bite-size square cracker. Maybe everyone fell in love with these tasteful crackers because there are 24 different flavors of these beauties. No matter if you are looking for a little snack or just something to munch on, the little crackers are very swell. As a matter of fact, over half of 277 students at Liberty High School say that
How important are Cheez-Itz in your overall diet? 384 LHS students responded...
they like Cheez-Itz, and another 18% say that they can’t live without them. Cheez-Itz are a natural wonder of this planet Earth. Who knows where they came from? Maybe it was the Space Gods sending their lovely new creation for us to give a shot. Maybe the world adopted them from the sea or maybe they are home grown. Anything is possible with these out of this world amazing, delicious crackers. These Cheez-Itz could clearly be the future of this world. Not only are they amazingly delicious but they also have very nice advertising on television and the boxes. Cheez-Itz come in many different sizes and flavors, personally I like just the original. Nothing fancy, just old school Cheez-Itz. Whether you just like the taste of a cheesy cracker or a little spice in your appetite, Cheez-Itz can fulfill whatever you desire. People that say they don’t like Cheez-Itz, which is 9% of Liberty High School students, just don’t know how good these wonderful creations are. Cheez-Itz even went to the extreme for us. If you are in a hurry and need to get out of the door quickly, surely you don’t want to carry around a box of CheezItz, they helped us out and created Cheez-Itz on the go! That’s right all you Cheez-It lovers out there, you can take these lovely crackers wherever you please. No matter if you are headed to the store, to the doctors, or to even
By: Stephen Hamilton-Lacy Photo by: Margaret Burton the bathroom; the Sunshine Company spent their time to make eating the best crackers of the unknown anywhere we want to go. People may be right; these crackers may not be the healthiest choice around. Some foods can be unhealthy for you and some Cheez-It haters feel as if they are unhealthy. Honestly, the only people to say that they are unhealthy are the Cheez-It haters. You can say what you want, Cheez-Itz are the best crackers the world has come to know. If you don’t like the Cheez-Itz and feel like they are bad, you are either jealous because you didn’t come up with this creation or because you just aren’t a shining star like these wonderful crackers. If they are so unhealthy then go for whole grain, or reduced fat. These crackers contain so much flavor whatever way you want to go they will be packed with a wonderful, cheesy crunch. No matter if you adore Cheez-Itz or can’t stand them, I feel as if they have the best flavor out of any cracker. They are small and flavorful as many crackers aren’t. For example, Cheez-Itz contains cheese and a tad bit of salt, even some with different flavors, while saltines are just plain crackers with salt. All in all we may never know where the small beauties came from, but one thing is for sure, there is no other comparison to these little guys. And I mean no other comparison!
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The Mini Bell
Mini Bell sports My view on winter sports By: Jordan Prokosch
Photos by: Morgan McNea, Summer Turner, Ashley Covarrubias, Maddie Hissong and Jordan Wheelhouse
What is the first sport that comes to mind for summer? Football and baseball, stuff like that right? That’s not the problem though. What is the first sport you think of for winter? Let me guess, basketball. That is a problem. People are forgetting one of the hardest sports to do. No one does it because it is too hard for most people. They say “I’ve got bad grades,” or anything else they can think of. Can you guess what I am talking about? IT’S WRESTLING. Now don’t get me wrong, Basketball is good but most people forget about wrestling, because not many people do it. By that I mean they are not tough enough. Now, you are probably wondering why I am telling you about wrestling. I want
it to be known in this school people don’t understand how hard wrestlers work for what they do, and that if you don’t want it enough then you will not succeed. Right now I am bad but I get to feel myself getting better every day, between stopping someone from pinning me or getting a move down the first time. Either way I know I am getting better because I try my hardest. It is painful and exhausting sometimes, but if you wrestle then you will feel a lot better about yourself. Losing weight or just flipping/ throwing someone all are inspiring to a wrestler. It is a lot of fun. Tell me do you ever go to bed feeling like you did nothing today. Feeling like, “Wow I did nothing to help my fitness.”
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The Mini Bell Well in wrestling you will never have to feel that way. Wrestling will teach you respect and discipline. You will never go a day with out feeling good about what you did. At least I haven’t yet. Let me ask you something else, have you ever stayed up late playing videogames or watching TV and then were really tired all day the next day? Well if you wrestle then guess what, the next day I bet you will be even more tired, especially on days after morning practice, but at least you can tell other people you have a good reason to be tired. It’s a better excuse than saying, “Oh yeah, I stayed up too late on X-box,” or “Yeah I was watching TV all night.” If you wrestle you have a reason. Have you ever been bullied, picked on, called names or even been laughed at? If you wrestle you will have better self defense and the next time someone messes with you, just say, “I am a wrestler,” and see if they still pick on you. If they do be responsible and don’t lose your temper. Just walk away knowing you’re the harder worker and better man/woman.
If you are wrestler then you are the toughest in your school. There may be people that are bigger and stronger, but they are not tougher other wise they would be in that wrestling room too. Being in wrestling will make you have a lot better self confidence because, like I said, you will see yourself getting better not just in wrestling but in physical appearance too. Wrestlers got it hard and easy at the same time if you think about it. Now you know what wrestling is and what it’s about. Wrestlers work hard and they never give up. The easy way out is too simple for us wrestlers, and we also are the toughest people in the school despite how strong other people are. We have mental and physical toughness. We will keep fighting, and if people don’t want to recognize us that is no bother. Bottom line, a true wrestler doesn’t care about all the perks, they are there to fight and be better wrestlers. We’ll keep going and fighting no matter what people say and do.
Counter-clockwise: Senior Isacc Kinard wrestling a Lee’s Summit High School wrestler, Freshman Michael Shelton about to pin another Lee’s Summit wrestler, Sophomore Thomas Connor pins his Blue Springs opponent, Senior Cannon Trester moves the Lee’s Summit wrestler around the mat, Sophomore Spencer Clubine takes down a Lee’s Summit Tiger.